22/08/2020 - Fur-on Pelt Working weekend with woodland ways

When I went on Woodland Ways’ Fur-on hide working weekend a week ago I was looking for something completely different — something that would push me out of my comfort zone, and Woodland Ways really delivered. It was, we learned, only the fourth time this workshop has been run for the general public and I can’t say I’m surprised. Considering that the first question our excellent instructor, Adam, asked everyone when they arrived was, “Why are you doing this course?” you could tell that they’d thought about the many aspects of the programme that would make it a) a valuable learning experience and b) problematic.

Adam was preaching to the converted, and fortunately for all, the five attendees were of a similar mindset, all wanting to learn this traditional craft with an open mind and an attitude of respect for the instructor, the process, and the material. What we were doing was gaining understanding, insight and respect for the process that makes a waste product into something beautiful and useful. Time and again over the three days we were together, we spoke of the disconnect people have in our society between the products we enjoy having and the materials and processes that go into making them. We were learning traditional skills that made no use of harmful synthetic chemicals. We learned how much hard physical labour was involved, and we gained some understanding of why each step of the process was important to the final product. We also learned how loose the ‘rules’ were, and that every experience we would have with tanning would progress in a new way, yielding a slightly different result.

Together we processed six fox hides, one of which (the one I was to take responsibility for) arrived still on the fox. Each hide reacted a little bit differently to the process, with some ending up butter soft, and mine…well, perhaps after a little more work. Adam was impressively experienced, having travelled far to hone his craft with people working in many different cultural traditions. He brought with him the fruits of his labour — a most tactile CV — and we never stopped talking, sharing stories, problems or questions we had encountered in our own learning.

The first afternoon, after settling in, we had a general introduction to the topic before getting down to the business of skinning the fox, which we all took part in. I made the first mistake of the day, not realising just how thin the skin was at the back of the heel, and severing the tendon that ensured we could keep it firmly hanging from two points. Fortunately, we managed the rest of the job without too much difficulty and had a fascinating anatomy lesson along the way. Then we used fleshing beams to scrape the liquid fat and as much membrane from the skin side of the hide as possible, and any other material that could go rancid, to prepare the hides for boarding and dressing, which were the order of business after a quick supper. This took us into the night, with everyone finishing around 11pm.

Saturday was a day of hard graft. There was no way around it. We began by sewing shut any large holes and making repairs to tails, etc. After that came softening. In some traditions, leather is chewed to make it soft. Not so with us. We used various tools to stretch, abrade, and generally work the hide while it dried, warming it by the coals of the constant fire, occasionally using 80 grit sandpaper to maintain surface softness and remove any further membrane, etc. We kept it up for hours. Nine hours in my case as my fix was particularly thick-skinned. Eventually, we had them as good as we could get them, and then it was time to rest.

Sunday was a lot of fun. We began by finishing up any details and giving the pelts one final go before they were to be smoked. Nicola, who was helping to lead the workshop and a knowledgeable worker of buckskin, had begun the previous day to clear an area and to build a green hazel frame on which the pelts would be smoked. We used punk wood on three smoking fires set within the framework, and a tarp over top to enclose it. For two hours we checked, rotated the pelts, added more punk wood to the fires, and kept watch while the magic happened. It was interesting to watch the thick smoke creep out of the porous tarp and around the edges, despite our efforts to close it off. It was incredibly smoky! I kept wondering if, when we removed the tarp to check progress, people wondered why there were these intermittent smoke balls billowing out of the woods.

The final product needed a lot of washing and reworking because the scent of the wood smoke is so strong. I look forward to finishing up some details such as lining the ‘head’ portion of the pelt, tidying up the tail and making sure the pelt is as stable and scent-free as possible. It was a fascinating weekend and a huge learning curve. Thanks to everyone who participated, and especially to our wonderful instructor Adam.

05/08/2020 - Exploring the neighbourhood

Having recently moved to a new area, I was keen to start exploring some of the natural spaces nearby so today I went for a recce of one particular place. It reminded me of a similar area where I used to live - a former landfill converted to a nature reserve under the combined efforts of the local council and a group of volunteers (or ‘friends of…’ as they amicably call themselves). Given that the area has had only about 20 years to rewild, it’s pretty impressive. It’s clean, open, with good species variety and a healthy degree of succession happening throughout the thoughtfully-planned reserve.

My first impression came from the frothy yellow exuberance of ragwort flowers, hovering over the lower grasses. Planted woodlands of poplar, oak, alder buckthorn, field maple and ash have established themselves well and made for a pleasant shaded walk, though here the only thing growing in the shade tended to be nettles and garlic mustard; it was otherwise a bit of a desert - it will be worth observing in the spring. There have clearly been several phases of planting, with many young trees in some places, and other plantations 40ft tall.

I was pleased to find a weighty crop of early blackberries ready for picking (how have they not already gone?) and it took just minutes to forage half a kilo. These have gone straight into the freezer for a dismal winter’s day. It was good to have a good rummage around, mainly for the season to come - sloes, rosehips, hawthorn are all plentiful as was, to my delight, fat and healthy horseradish plants. There was animal sign everywhere - deer, rabbit, fox. I saw a good number of fieldcap mushrooms.

Tucked here and there was a den built by kids, or playful adults, and I came across a couple of well-used fire sites well hidden from view of even close passers-by. I expect to walk through here on a regular basis, and my only hope is that people generally use the space as respectfully as my first impression of the place suggests, as there wasn’t a trace of litter or damage. If this is the result of the Friends’ hard work, their care is much appreciated! When the world settles down a bit, I’ll see about joining them on one of their work parties.

The area was large and I didn’t get to its furthest corners, but I’m still on the lookout for apples and hope to find them. The sky was getting heavy and the wind, rain-flecked, so I turned for home, clutching my tin of blackberries.

 03/08/2020 - NEW WEBSITE!

Welcome and hello! This website is very much a work in progress. I decided to turn my Forest School Leader portfolio (well, parts of it) into a resource to share with like-minded people. As time goes on, there will be a lot of new material on this site, and bushcrafting content that goes beyond the requirements of a Forest School Leader, as a reflection of my own progress as an outdoor educator. Please let me know, through the contact form, if there are areas you’d especially like to see added or expanded.